Stolen Property
by strawberryshortcakeandcream
Summary: Supposed to be arranged marriage led to estrangement between Shikamaru and Ino. But one mission made the marriage seemed real when they were to act as married couple to infiltrate the enemy's territory. Would they able to act up despite their estrangement?
1. Chapter 1

**Stolen Property**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

**Summary:** Supposed to be arranged marriage led to estrangement between Shikamaru and Ino. But one mission made the marriage seemed real when they were to act as married couple to infiltrate the enemy's territory. Would they able to act up despite their estrangement?

_A/N: Okay, so this is my Naruto fanfic. And Shikamaru/Ino is my favorite ship and I really find them cute. No offence for those shipping ShikaTema. I'm open to literary criticisms and it will improve a lot of things in my writing. However, flames are not welcomed when it comes to pairings, story, etc._

_Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine. Period._

* * *

~o~

Ino was pissed. She was certainly having her rage. Her sudden rampage unfortunately timed when Inoichi was home and her poor daddy became her anger venting punching bag. Inoichi just remained quiet. He knew how to push her buttons but definitely not when it was her _time_ of the month. No matter how much Inoichi spoiled her, her mood would only get better if she would see _him._ By him she meant was none other than her lazy, good for nothing team mate slash childhood friend slash best friend, Nara Shikamaru.

Honestly speaking, it was him who triggered her already spoilt mood. Seeing him again with that Suna blonde chick would make her inner boiled with anger and added jealousy into the highest boiling point ever stated by men. Yes, she must admit, by all means, she would un-proudly say that she was in love with him. Ino sighed as she plopped on her bed, lying on her stomach. She was having her dysmenorrhea and it felt like her insides were riding on a roller coaster in which she couldn't take. She was trying her luck by passing by to Shikamaru's place because she knew that it was his day-off after his mission with other jounins. She missed him, so much that she badly wanted to take just a simple glimpse of him who was having a rare day off in spite of being groped under the pain of women wonders. But instead of welcoming the joy of seeing Shikamaru _alone_, she was abruptly welcomed by his company. It's not that she hated Temari. Don't get her wrong, she was in fact, jealous of her closeness to Shikamaru. And knowing Shikamaru, he sporadically let himself get close to a woman because in his mind, he dubbed all of woman species, including her, actually, mostly her as troublesome creatures.

She rolled on her bed uncomfortably, slightly ignoring the wrenching pain that was coursing through her entire being. She just wanted to be with Shikamaru, but why was he so hard to reach? Was this karma for denying her feelings to him for so long? She let out a frustrated sigh as she switched her position on the bed – which was lying on her back. She stared at the ceiling for almost like an eternity while pondering all the things that had happened between her and Shikamaru and how things could be changed if _that_ didn't happen. Since that day, their friendship became strained. It was hard to pull it back to where it used to be. Team 10 was never the same again. Though Chouji and Asuma-sensei were always there for her, when it came to Shikamaru, it was hard to act normal. They used to be the best of friends but now, it's as if they didn't know each other. And before she knew it, they were drifting apart. And it hurt.

* * *

~o~

Shikamaru's eyes couldn't deceive him. He was entirely sure that he caught of glimpse of Ino. With her purple ninja outfit and overflowing blond hair, he was sure the he indeed saw her. It seemed that when it come to her presence, his entire being was being overly sensitive. It wouldn't surprise him why she hadn't approached nor talked to him. A lot of things had happened and before he knew it, both of them were drifting apart. It was hard for him to lose his other best friend, aside from Chouji, that was. He was accustomed to Ino's presence since they were toddlers. The three of them, he, Chouji and Ino were inseparable since birth given that their fathers were best of friends. He knew that for him, though he dubbed Ino as a troublesome woman, she was and would always be a special person for him. He made that promise to himself since they were little kids having pure innocence of the shinobi world. It was that day that he saw her crying along the street, alone and with a scraped knee. But then what had go wrong? Ah, yes, it was his entire fault. It was his fault that Ino now saw him as a stranger. He failed to protect her, not from physically inflicted pain but deep, emotional pain.

Don't get him wrong; he didn't have any feelings for her. He only thought of her as a sister that he'd never had that why he had this urge to protect her from any harm at all cost. His supposed to be concern for her turned out to be a catastrophe wherein their friendship was at stake. He had regretted saying those things to her in order for her to understand that it's not supposed to happen. Life had something for them but Ino, refused to listen to him and before he knew it, she was in tears. Tears that he had no right to wipe away since he was the prime cause of it.

"…..Hokage-sama is demanding a meeting with the council of Suna because it seems that Suna's economy is turning upside down because there are many obstacles delivering goods, especially the perishables from here to there….." His thoughts were interrupted when Temari's articulation went on and on and Shikamaru didn't care a bit. He glanced at the Suna blonde kunoichi with his ever-present hebetude façade. He knew that the Godaime Hokage would find a most advantageous solution towards the concern between the two allies given that Suna had been their most trusted ally.

But damn.

Instead of lazing around, doing his favorite hobby – cloud watching, he was stuck with Temari. _Troublesome._ He thought. He knew he was Temari's most favored person in Konoha and thus, Tsunade made use of the fact that he was here now, when he was supposed to take pleasure in his somewhat short-lived day-off that Tsunade had promised after his gruesome mission with Asuma, Chouji and Kakashi. He was showing Temari around Konoha with nothing knew to show. He was, after all, his tour guide years before after Suna and Konoha had been made as allies.

He sighed as he settled both of his hands on his pockets. He knew that this wasn't going to end, unless he put a denouement to it. "Do you want to eat?" He asked, not bothering to look at her.

Temari's perfect brow raised, "Excuse me?"

_Troublesome. I don't like repeating myself._ He mused. "I said, 'do you want to eat'? I'm a bit hungry, you see…"

"Oh, all right. But can we go to your house instead? I love your Mom's food!" Temari said gleefully. She had been complaining to him that Kankuro's cooking wasn't delectable at all and she couldn't cook for herself either so in Suna, she and her siblings were always eating out so when in Konoha, she was dying to have some homemade food, which was his mother's cooking. Right. Ever since the incident with Ino, his mother had not been in her very best mood whenever he would bring Temari over to their house for lunch or dinner. He knew his Mom was getting this idea of him being together with Temari. But she got it all wrong. He had no desire to have himself another troublesome woman to pester him all his life. He had enough.

He had to think of a better solution from stopping her to insist on eating in his house. He had to think fast because they were approaching their house. _Think, Shikamaru._ He was about to open his mouth when he saw that Chouji was approaching them.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" His Brobdingnagian best friend approached them fast and a sly smile appeared on Shikamaru's face. _Nice timing, Chouji!_

"Hey." He greeted back. Chouji then smiled at Temari who smiled back.

"I was looking all over for you! I am meaning to ask you to eat with me at the yakiniku bar because Mom got me three eat all you can tickets. Ino declined – " His ears perked up when he heard Ino's name. It had been a while since he saw her, well, except for a quick glimpse earlier. But anyway, seeing her wholly would make a difference.

"….so I am thinking if you could accompany me today? I'm a bit hungry, you know. And Temari can join us since I have an extra ticket." Chouji ended his long speech. He would be forever grateful with his best friend. Not only he was helping him to divert Temari's attention from even thinking of eating in their house but also, he was offering both of them free lunch. As an act of hospitality, he was always paying for their food whenever he and Temari would eat out so sometimes, he had no choice but to bring Temari to their house for free food. Though the air was suffocating given the presence of his mother there and her usual dagger-sending glares to him was always getting on his nerves. He was thankful enough that his mother was always cheerful whenever Temari was around. And his mom, as an ex-kunoichi knew better than to destroy an alliance between Suna and Konoha with just a mere act of indifference towards the person who she thought he was having a thing.

"I think that's a better idea. What can you say, Temari? Mom's a bit busy with chores today and I haven't notified her that you'll be coming so I doubt if she has anything prepared."

"Well, it's fine with me." Temari agreed, and he was quite thankful that his explanation made sense to her though he just sew it all up.

Chouji handed them the tickets and beamed, "What are you waiting for? Let's go! I'm starving!" Then, he started walking towards the yakiniku restaurant

"You're always hungry, Chouji." He chuckled lightly before following his friend with Temari walking by his side. As they were walking, his thoughts drifted to his blonde teammate and ex-best friend. If things were only the same as before, it would be Ino who would be walking by his side and not Temari, complaining how Chouji was affecting her diet by dragging them into the yakiniku restaurant and how Chouji's stomach would seem as an endless pit and so on and so forth. He greatly missed those times. Ino was so near and yet so far. She's just here, in the same village as him, walking the same street as him but he couldn't get close to her, to patch things up between them. And that lead him into thinking, would things between them could still be fixed?

* * *

~o~

_A/N: So what do you think? This is a trial chapter. It depends on the feedback I get. Review please. Thank you :)_


	2. Chapter 2

**Stolen Property**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

_A/N: Be warned, there are side pairings ahead. NejiTen because they're my OTP. I mean Tenten is such an under-rated character and she's so cute and yet she's strong. Don't you agree? KibaHina because I find them really adorable. I think Naruto is cruel for not answering Hinata's confession. I am really glad that you're receiving this story well. I didn't expect it since it's my first Naruto fanfic. And I'll try my very best to update faster since I'm quiet busy with school. So bear with me, okay? :) _

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter._

* * *

Days had gone by quickly and Shikamaru found himself being thrown into more dangerous, life-threatening missions. At the age of twenty-three, he, the lazy bum honestly started to think about his future. As the future head of his clan, he was entitled to produce at least one heir and seeing himself in life-death situations made him realize things.

And now, he just got home from another dire mission. The moment he set his foot at the gigantic gates of Konoha, he went straight to the Hokage's office to pass the written report, which he had found the time writing while his squad had their occasional stops when they were heading back to Konoha. This mission, however, made him a bit relaxed since he had Neji as his second in command. Usually, both of them were placed as partners on missions but when Neji had gotten promoted to ANBU just a few months ago, he was rather occupied with S-class missions rather than A-class missions that he was usually assigned to. And now, Neji was taking a break from all the hazards of ANBU since the missions, usually the killings and losses that he had to endure were too gruesome for him. Even if he was labeled as the genius of the Hyuuga clan and he seemed to have his cold façade most of the time, Neji found the deaths circulating around the ANBU squad still too worrisome for him. Not now that he was finally engaged with Tenten. It had taken too long for the Hyuuga genius and the weapon mistress to admit their feelings with each other that they needed most of Rookie nine and of course, Lee's ever youthful push for them to get together. When they finally did, the timid couple actually surprised them when they announced that they were getting married just after being together for almost three months. The reason? It's mainly because Neji got Tenten pregnant that they had to elevate their relationship. He was happy for his friend. But somehow, deep inside him, he felt envious of Neji. If more or less, his supposed to be arranged marriage with Ino had pushed through, then they should be the first one to get married within their circle of friends.

_Funny, but am I really regretting turning down that marriage? _He silently thought. It's been like, what? Five years. It wouldn't do him any good if he started to mull things over. What had been done was done. There's no way he could make things right again. His only regret was losing his best friend. The only female that he let to enter his life was now gone. Well, not literally but the way they were treating each other, it's as good as if Ino never existed in the first place.

He turned sideways on his bed as he stared out blankly on his window.

_The clouds are so beautiful. But the color of the sky reminds me of Ino's eyes. _

Suddenly, as if on cue, he felt calmer. And with that, he was slowly lulled into his deep slumber.

* * *

~o~

Ino was currently looking after their flower shop. Since there's no mission for her, it was her turn to watch their little shop. Not that she minded though, in fact, it was her favorite past time next to shopping. Being surrounded with flowers, it made her feel the tranquility that she had been longing every time that she was away on a mission. She took a bite of her Salad Caprese but she substituted the big tomatoes with the cherry ones. It was her favorite, after all. After a while, the chime of the door rang indicating that there was a customer. She looked up from her salad and her face brightened upon seeing her gentle and pale lavender-eyed friend.

"Hinata-chan!" Ino ran towards her and gave her a bone-crushing hug.

"I-Ino-chan, n-not so hard, you're crushing me.." Hinata softly giggled, seeing her closest female friend greeting her enthusiastically.

Ino, noticing her friend's struggle, decided to let go but grinned when she faced her then she gave her _that_ look. That look meant that Ino was going to shot her various, endless questions regarding her date with that dog boy. Apparently, Hinata started going out with Kiba a few days ago after Kiba had confessed to her, much to the shock of their friends but her. She knew what Hinata had gone through and how Kiba loved her and was always by her side so it's no doubt that she had fallen in love with Kiba, despite the fact that her affections with Naruto had actually been long enough that people assume that they'd be together sometimes soon especially when she had boldly confessed her love to him during the invasion of Pain in Konoha.

And last night was the new couple's first date as a couple so she was eager to know what happened between them.

She and Hinata became very close during the time that they were both given a mission in Suna wherein they had to train medics there for 6 months; sometime about five and a half years ago. They had lived together and from there, they've been inseparable. They clicked together, as they had said. They actually complimented each other. While Hinata was shy, gentle and timid; she was confident and outspoken. It seemed that opposites did really attract each other. It was a different feeling whenever she was with Sakura. With Hinata, everything felt so soothing, unlike with Sakura, she couldn't help but to always think of their silent rivalry going on even though they both made amends over it. It's not that she was comparing both of them but she could tell that Hinata was the one closest to her heart now. She considered her as her female best friend and she was glad that Hinata felt the same. She actually told her that she was the first female, apart from her Mom and sister that she was really close to.

And heck, she even knew what happened between her and Shikamaru. Only Choji as her childhood friend knew what _really_ happened. Not even her and Shikamaru's parents.

"Well," she crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the floor, waiting for her to share her dating experience.

Hinata blushed while poking her forefingers together, and that meant something, Ino reckoned. "W-well…it has gone well." She shyly mumbled.

Ino looked exasperated, "Enlighten me, Hinata-chan. Care to elaborate on what had happen on your date with Kiba? Did he bring Akamaru? Did he treat you nicely? Where did you eat? What did you do after your dinner?"

Hinata chuckled on her seemingly endless list of questions and softly said, "Slow down, Ino-chan. I'm going to answer all of your questions so please slow down and go one by one, okay?"

She smiled as she led her inside where there was a chair near the counter. "All right but tell me all what had happened there!"

"I promised, I will." Hinata happily complied as she sat down.

"What now?" Ino impatiently asked.

"W-well…he fetched me at home and no, he didn't bring Akamaru with him…Neji-nii-san and Otou-sama actually threatened him not to do anything funny or else they w-will…uh," Hinata became beet red and Ino was left hanging.

She raised her brow to her friend, "Or else what?"

Yet again, Hinata poked her fingers while covering her face with her bangs as whispered, "..or else..t-they wil..c-c-castrate him…."

And with that, Ino burst out laughing while Hinata blushed even more. "Oh my gosh, Hinata-chan, I didn't know Neji-san or your father is really capable of doing that..but I could imagine Kiba's face, being a dog with his tails in between!"

"He actually froze for a minute there if I hadn't held his hand. I think he actually felt threatened."

"Yeah, knowing your family, they must have said it with a straight face."

Hinata nodded as she creased her forehead, marring her flawless face. "It was actually correct, Ino-chan."

Ino laughed heartily as they continued their conversation. "He took me to a nice restaurant and then we went at the top of the Hokage tower to do stargazing. He is really a gentleman, Ino-chan." Hinata said dreamily.

"That's it? No hugs and kisses?"

"Uh—uhm..he did kiss me after a shooting start came and then held me for long until we went home." Hinata admitted while blushing immensely as Ino squealed delightedly.

_Hinata-chan never changes. She's still the shy and timid girl that I know. Too innocent for Kiba. But I'm glad that she's overcoming that now. I think Hinata hanging out with me is a good thing. I influence her attitude a bit. _Ino silently grinned as she noticed her blushing face. But despite that, she could tell that she was very happy.

"Hmmm…I'm really happy for you Hinata-chan. You found your love with Kiba when Naruto turned you down after your confession and he actually started going out with Forehead."

Hinata smiled sadly, remembering her first love that turned her down in the cruelest way possible. "..yes, but I have Kiba now…and that's all matters and I also have you as my best friend so I don't have any regret that had happened in the past."

Ino tried to ponder Hinata's words.

_If only she's as optimistic as her, then she wouldn't have any regrets in the past._

It seemed that her only regret was well, falling in love with Shikamaru in the process. No matter what they had said, the first one who fell in love was always the loser at the end; especially knowing that the person she fell in love with was none other than the lazy ass Shikamaru. It was beyond his genius mind on what was the true meaning of love.

Funny but she was Yamanaka Ino. She could get any guy she wanted with her looks alone. But it seemed that Lady Fate had other plans to her that she always ended up liking the people who couldn't return her affections. Take Sasuke for one, her long time crush whom she had given up once she knew that she couldn't compete with Sakura's strong feeling for him and the fact the he was once a village traitor and her friends were nearly killed many times because of him. From then on, she decided that she couldn't continue to like someone as violent and as temperamental as Sasuke. Besides, when Shikamaru and his squad had tried to retrieve him, Chouji, her best friend slash childhood friend was in life and death situation and Shikamaru was injured.

Then there was Shikamaru. She didn't know why but ever since she had decided to stop liking Sasuke, Shikamaru was slowly creeping to her hearts and before she knew it, she fell too hard. She had a hunch that she had always loved Shikamaru but since she was so focused on Sasuke, mainly because of her rivalry with Sakura that she decided to ignore it and it only grew stronger when Shikamaru and her were always sent out to missions. Chouji would occasionally join them but it was mainly her and Shikamaru going on missions _alone._ She didn't know why but the way he had protected her, the way she would always wake up in his arms after she released her family jutsu. It just felt really comforting and she felt safe.

She sighed dejectedly as she took a trip down memory lane. It was too much. It still hurt.

* * *

~o~

Hinata, noticing her best friend's façade instantly knew what she was thinking. She was thinking of Shikamaru-kun again.

_If only I could do something to make Ino-chan happy._ She silently beseeched.

Then suddenly, a thought struck her. She's going to talk to Tsunade-sama later about this but as of now, she wanted to spend time with Ino-chan. Since she started going out with Kiba and with the missions that kept on popping out each and every time to her and as well as Ino-chan, their schedules just couldn't meet half-way and now, taking the opportunity to spend time with her, she voiced out her intention.

"Hey, Ino-chan, I am thinking if we could do gardening together today. Y-you know…" she poked her fingers together then smiled softly before continuing, "I want to spend time with you since it's been a long time that we've been together like this."

Ino smiled genuinely before nodding, "Actually, I am thinking the same thing since you've walked in the shop and there is no way in hell that I'm going to let you go now. Kiba has too much monopoly of you and I'm jealous!" Ino tried to sound hurt, trying to tease the timid Hyuuga but Hinata just chuckled softly in return.

"Try better, Ino-chan. You know that won't work." She rebutted.

Ino frowned but nonetheless, she was getting excited! It's been a while since she and Hinata had done some gardening in their greenhouse like girls their age would love to do but since they were kunoichis and they have responsibilities to their village. They didn't have much leisure time to do things that girls their age were supposed to do.

"Tsk, you're getting better at sarcasm, Hinata-chan. After all, you have the best teacher." Ino grinned as she flipped her hair proudly before she stood up and went upstairs. "I'm just going to tell mother that you're here. I'm sure she wouldn't mind watching the shop for me since you're here."

Hinata nodded with a smile and watched Ino's departing back as she went upstairs.

_You're going to thank me later, Ino-chan. You just wait; you'll have your own prince charming soon._

* * *

_A/N: I'm not going to rush their relationship. We'll take it slowly but surely. So, how about this? Review please. Receiving reviews keeps me motivated to update sooner than you think. :D _


	3. Chapter 3

**Stolen Property**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_A/N: Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry for the delay but I was sort of busy these past few weeks. But I'm back now with a new chapter and that all matters, right? Anyways, probably for the next chapter, I might start on what happened during their supposed to be engagement. I don't know. Something might pop out of my mind while writing so it's not yet final. I'm sure, you all want to find out what has happened between them, right? And I want to thank you all for reviewing this story. If you've got any questions, or whatever you want to ask me, don't hesitate, okay? I'll try to reply as soon as I can. For now, enjoy chapter 3._

_Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine. Period._

* * *

It has been two weeks since Hinata's visit and Ino just got home from another spying mission. The next day after Hinata's visit, she had been summoned at the hokage's tower for another mission that took almost two weeks. Tsunade-sama said that she's the perfect one for this A-class mission since she had long perfected the art of seduction. Extracting information from an enemy was an easy task for her, especially if the male liked women. Out of the kunoichis in the village, she was the top notch when it came to the art of seduction. In her recent mission, she had to pretend as a lost, innocent traveler and let the enemy take her in. Then from there, it was her job to spy the enemy to get the necessary information for the attack.

Usually, spying missions could only take her at least a week but since the security was tight with this certain guy, she found it difficult and moreover, she was alone in the midst of the enemy's den. It's not that she minded though. But definitely, she had to be extra careful. And once that the information was sent out to Konoha after a week and a half, she just had to wait for the back-up shinobis to attack the enemy and the mission was done. But since the back-ups had to travel for three days to reach the place, it had taken two whole weeks just to finish the mission.

And now, Ino was in front of the only female hokage in the history of Konoha, Tsunade-sama, reporting the summary of the mission.

"And that is all for the report, Tsunade-sama." Ino finished.

Tsunade nodded before stamping the scroll. "Good job, Ino. I was right to give this mission to you." Tsunade smiled tenderly before continuing.

"I was a bit hesitant to send you alone at first but all the jounins or even the chuunins were unavailable that time. And I was glad to see you return home without a single scratch."

Ino beamed and happily said, "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade felt proud of her kunoichi and said, "I'll give you a week off, Ino. Go spend it with your family."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama, thank you." She then bowed and headed for the door when the hokage spoke again. "Say hi to little Anju and Sorami for me, Ino." She suddenly stopped and her hand froze upon reaching the doorknob and faced the Godaime hokage with a knowing smile before she spoke softly, "I will, Tsunade-sama. They miss you, you know." Tsunade then nodded in understanding before she smirked lightly. "Of course, I'll try to drop by with Shizune when I actually break free from these paper works." She waved her hand, telling her that she was already dismissed and went back to her much dreaded work – paper works.

Ino bowed again before she finally exited the hokage's office. She headed straight home to her parents' house. She badly needed a bath and a good long sleep before she head off to the forest, on the border of Konoha where her father's sister, Aunt Inori, was residing.

* * *

~o~

Tsunade pretended to keep herself busy to relay to Ino that she was dismissed. She silently watched her left the room under her bangs so that she could proceed to the mission that Hinata suggested to for Ino and Shikamaru few days ago. The shy Hyuuga heiress actually came up to her and requested her to do something for her friend, Ino. In which she actually agreed because she had all the gist of Ino's plight. And now, she was actually looking for a mission that fitted their skills. She couldn't just throw them any long-term mission as long as they're together. Knowing Shikamaru and his genius brain, he'd get suspicious enough to think that she had been up to something odd.

It actually surprised her that Hinata, the shy and timid Hinata would actually had the guts to come up to her and requested such things. She applauded the young heiress for her guts. Hanging out with Ino really did something good in Hinata and it boosted her confidence level. Seeing that Hinata's proposal was actually good, Tsunade accepted to help.

But unfortunately for Tsunade, she couldn't find any appropriate mission for those two lovebirds.

_Lovebirds eh?_ She smirked as she dropped all the papers she was scanning and crossed her arms over her ample chests. She would be delighted to match make those two since she was there for Ino when she had been undergoing through her _trials_ in her young life.

She was pondering her thoughts when a knock startled her. Sensing that it was Shizune's chakra, she let her enter. Upon opening the door, she noticed that her ever-loyal student was carrying a scroll. She eyed the scroll intently, hoping that it would bring good news.

"Tsunade-sama, a mission request from Tsukino-sama from Tsukigakure." She handed her the scroll and upon hearing the name, Tsunade perked up and read the scroll eagerly. Then after a moment later, a pleased smile appeared on Tsunade's face that confused Shizune.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, puzzled.

"Shizune, I think I found the perfect mission for those two." She answered.

Shizune seemed to be lost at first but knowing her master, she had confided everything in her and she was also present when Hinata came and told Tsunade her proposal. Getting the hint, she immediately brightened up. "So it's about those two eh?"

"Hn. That's why I have to thank Tsukino for this. Perfect timing, if I must say."

Now, Shizune was curious as to what was written on the scroll. She definitely knew it was something worth reading based on the smirk that her mistress wore.

Shizune's train of thoughts were interrupted when Tsunade stood up and headed at the door when Shizune, being the fast kunoichi, held her had over the knob and asked her mistress, "Where do you think you're going, Tsunade-sama?"

"I'm going to gamble and drink! This needs a celebration! After _days_ of searching from that endless amount of mission requests, I finally found the perfect one." Tsunade replied as she squeezed out the doorknob and pushed Shizune gently in her vocabulary but it did no good with Shizune. Knowing Tsunade's brute strength, Shizune landed on her bottom at the floor. Wincing in pain, she stood up to follow her mistress. She sighed as she watched her mistress' retreating back before she silently muttered, "This gonna be a long day."

* * *

~o~

After three days since Tsunade received the letter, Shikamaru got a summon from the Godaime one early morning. He was yawning over the dining table while listening to his mother's antics because he was looking bored while waiting for breakfast to be served while his father pretended not to listen as he was reading the morning newspaper. But he knew that his father was just afraid looking at his mother's eyes knowing that it would provoke her more.

_So troublesome…._ Shikamaru thought. His mother had finally finished cooking and was serving them their breakfast. Shikamaru was eagerly waiting for his mother to sit down and eat with them so that she could stop her tirade and let him and his father eat in peace. He sighed as he picked up his miso soup bowl and chopsticks. He really wondered why his dad had to marry his machine gun mouthed mother. Sure, his mom did show him her tender moments with him, especially when he felt lonely (he didn't know but his mom just usually popped out of nowhere when he desperately needed someone to talk to and comfort him) but he still couldn't take that his dad was whipped. His dad, Shikaku, was a fierce shinobi on the battlefield but when it came to household, his mom, Yoshino, was the one who had been running it; she was the dominant one. He had asked his dad why did he marry his mom and he just said that there were times that she was gentle. True, he did witness his mom's tender moments but he and his genius mind didn't quite get how his father could put up with his mom's tyrannical ways.

And his mom's troublesome attitude reminded him of someone else.

It did remind him of Ino.

Ino was so annoyingly troublesome during their genin days especially when she had started to develop her crush towards the sole surviving, brooding Uchiha, Sasuke.

But in all honestly, he kind of missed Ino's antics. How she used to fret over him and Chouji when they were unmotivated. How she was there to take care of them and how she would care for them like she was the mother hen of Team 10.

His apprehension was cut short when a knock was heard and it was his mother who opened it. There was a moment of silence in which Shikamaru had been savoring along with the delicious breakfast that his mother had made for them. His mom was a really good cook. Shikamaru tipped his hat off to her for her culinary abilities.

Soon enough, his mother emerged from the living room and she was wearing a gentle smile towards her son.

"Shikamaru, Tsunade-sama wants you on her office in an hour."

Shikamaru, being his lazy self replied, "Troublesome."

His mother, on the other hand didn't take his reply seriously and suddenly bellowed along with a few veins popping out of her flawless skin, "SHIKAMARU! Stop looking bored and get yourself a grip! How old are you? You're already 23 and you're still acting like your 3-year old self. You and your lazy ass father are the same. Remind me, Shikaku, why did I marry you again? What did you do to me? I really had a hunch before I got pregnant with Shikamaru that he'd be as passive and as lazy as you! And I was right! Look at him, JUST LOOK AT HIM! Why do Nara men are all lazy asses? That's why you won't get yourself a girlfriend because you always refer to women as troublesome creatures….."

Shikamaru didn't know whether his mom's tirade was for him or for his dad and all that he knew; his mom had been on her usual fire-spitting dragon mode the whole duration of breakfast after he muttered the lone word _troublesome._

With just that word around his mom, hell would freeze just to listen to whatever she was saying.

Shikamaru just sighed; looking bored as usual as he quickly finished his breakfast and headed out.

He was actually glad that he was summoned at the hokage's tower. That way, he could break free from his mom's tirade while his father was left alone, suffering her wrath. But whatever, he knew that they would make up later. It was a common knowledge that his mom still possessed a timeless beauty. She still looked in her mid-twenties. He guessed that was the reason why his father was crazy about his mom.

_Troublesome woman._ He silently muttered as he exited their house and made his way to the hokage's tower. He was hoping that Tsunade-sama would send him on a mission; long-term mission to be précised.

When he reached the Godaime's office, he noticed that Tsunade-sama's aura was different. She was smirking as he entered her office.

_I don't like this feeling._ He thought.

"Good morning, Tsunade-sama." He greeted nonetheless.

"Oh, Shikamaru, you're here now. You have a mission. A long-term mission. And we'll just wait for your partner before I tell you the details." She stated as she was stamping a few documents.

Shikamaru wasn't expecting this. It was just a wishful thinking that he wanted a long-term mission but in reality, he was just given one. And wait, she said a partner. So it meant that it's a two-man team. He wondered what type of mission was this. He couldn't wait. At least, he'd be away for sometime without experiencing the wrath of his mother. After a minute, there was a knock on the door and Tsunade told the person to come in. He had a feeling that the person behind the door was his partner for the mission. Shikamaru continued to stare at the door with a bored expression, waiting for his partner to show up. But his eyes widened when he actually took a look at his partner in this long-term mission.

From a bored expression to a very surprised one, Shikamaru had the shock of his life when the door open, revealing Ino, in all her glory.

* * *

_A/N: Yup. A cliffhanger. :) Review please. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Stolen Property**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_A/N: Okay so before proceeding, I want to clear one thing about this story. Tsukigakure (The Hidden Moon Village) is mentioned in this and that village only appeared on Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes Three. While searching for a village, I have considered using Tea Village but this particular village caught my attention. I have yet to reach that part on the game since I am stuck at the Sasuke Reunion Arc and I am quite busy with some...stuffs that it takes me this long to update a new chapter. Another thing is that I don't have any idea how far the village is from Konoha so I just sort of make it four days away from Konoha._

_Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine. Period. I just borrowed some characters for my own pleasure._

_I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you. Have a good read._

* * *

Yamanaka Ino was on her way toward the hokage's office. Three days after her last mission, she got another summon from the hokage. She thought that she would be given for at least a week off to spend with her precious people but unfortunately, it was cut off when Shizune-san showed up in front of her Aunt Inori's house. It would be given that Shizune would be the one to come there and tell her about the summon since she was one of the _few_ people where she usually spent her free time during her off days, not even Chouji nor Shikamaru.

She sighed, as she regretted not spending a long time with Anju and Sorami. She missed them a lot since she had been away for two weeks for a mission and was looking forward the days she would be spending with them. However, it seemed that Lady Luck wasn't on her side now that she got another mission from the hokage.

_It must be important since Tsunade-sama is not the type of person to go back on her words about giving me a week off. She must be short of ninjas this time. _She silently thought.

But somehow, she had this turbulence going inside her chest. She didn't know what it was but she had an uneasy feeling about this one. The last time she felt this was five years ago when _that_ happened. And the years before that whenever Shikamaru was involved.

_Whatever. This is not the time to think about Shikamaru!_ She silently scolded herself as she shrugged off her thoughts and walked faster.

_The sooner I finish this mission, the better._ She cheerfully thought as she continued to walk in a faster phase. As she was nearing the hokage tower, the uneasy feeling that she had been feeling grew stronger until she reached Tsunade's office. She tried to compose herself as she held the doorknob.

She took a deep breath before she opened the door.

But as soon as she opened it, she was expecting to see the hokage behind her desk with Shizune standing on her side with Tonton.

However, it wasn't as she expected it to be.

Whilst the hokage and Shizune were at their usual spot, she didn't expect the presence of another person.

She froze upon seeing the face she had longed to see face to face for a long time. The very man who could make her happy most and yet could make her cry the most.

Nara Shikamaru.

* * *

~o~

Shikamaru stared wide-eyed with the goddess standing in front of him. His genius mind was still processing the fact that Ino, the _Yamanaka Ino_ was here in front of him. After not seeing her face-to-face for five years, Shikamaru couldn't help but reminisce the past that they had shared, when they were still the best of friends together with Chouji.

He observed her silently, trying to assess her looks. Whilst she still wore her purple sleeveless button up shirt that just reached a few inches under her chest and her midriff still showing her silky smooth skin. And it was paired with the same purple skirt with a cycling short underneath. He couldn't help but noticed that Ino was curvier than before. He actually liked her appearance now that she had some meat on her unlike before when she was obsessing over her stupid diet.

_I really don't understand women. Troublesome._

All in all, she looked good. More beautiful even.

He tried to compose himself but to no avail. He couldn't avert his gaze from her. After years of no association, here she was, standing in front of him.

"Tsunade-sama, you called?" She said confidently. She seemed surprised at first but then it was just a second that she returned to her usual façade. And Shikamaru wondered how she felt right now.

_Do I really mean nothing to you now, Ino? _He silently pondered, noticing how she _just _briefly surprised by his presence.

Ino had always been a confident woman. Whilst it was true that it had been a while since she moved on from Sasuke after the brooding Uchiha was marked as an S-class missing nin, Ino had always kept her emotions in check. Shikamaru thought that it's actually good for her and he saluted her positive attitude. He kept on telling her before to forget the Uchiha avenger and move on with her life. That instead of crying her heart out, why not spend her time training and honing her skills to be one of the best kunoichis that Konohagakure no Sato had ever produce. While it would not only make herself a proud kunoichi, her parents and the whole Yamanaka clan would also be proud of her achievements.

He suddenly remembered one conversation regarding the subject. After his talk with Ino regarding Sasuke, he left her alone to ponder on her thoughts. And after a few days of giving her space, he suddenly found himself talking to the blonde kunoichi on his usual cloud watching spot.

"_Shikamaru," Ino called out to him. Her voice was back in her usual cheerful tone as she approached him. He, on the other hand, just continued to watch the clouds with his back against the wooden floor, clearly lazy to get up and greet his blonde teammate._

_He closed his eyes for a brief moment and rolled over his side, enjoying the peaceful and oh so sweet silence of no one nagging him. Right, his mother just gave him an earful earlier for sleeping his way on the living room after eating breakfast. And thus, he just decided to get out of the house to seek peace and order on his sanctuary._

_Ino, who seemed to get annoyed the moment she saw him pretending to be asleep when he was clearly aware of her presence, kicked Shikamaru's back hard, making the lazy nin got up in an instant._

"_What the hell Ino?!" He yelled as he shot an annoyed look towards Ino's direction. He touched his back area and wished that it wouldn't leave any bruise. _Oh god, this troublesome woman kicks hard._ He silently cursed._

"_It's because you're ignoring me, lazy ass."_

"_I'm not ignoring you, I'm just sleeping that's all."_

"_Cut the crap, lazy ass, you're just pretending."_

_Instead of rebutting, Shikamaru just shot her a lazy stare. And yes, he was readying himself for another nagging session with Ino. _

_He waited for a while until the inner volcanic eruption would come out from Ino's pretty mouth but instead, he welcomed the silence of Ino. But what shocked him more was Ino's next action. Instead of acting violent towards him or his dreaded nagging session, she kissed his cheek and hugged him tight that made him look at the woman in bewilderment. _

"_Ino?" He asked, his voice rasped._

"_Thank you, Shika." She whispered on his ear, she was still hugging him that it made the lazy nin blush lightly. If you may ask why, well, he could feel Ino's chest on his chest and also, Ino's vanilla and apple scent was so addicting that he couldn't help but bury his nose on her blonde locks._

"_For what?" He managed to ask, silently inhaling Ino's enticing scent._

"_For being there to pull me up when I'm falling down."_

"_Hm."_

_She unraveled herself from him and stared directly on his chocolate brown eyes. Her baby blue eyes were sparkling with determination as she spoke, "I promise I'll be one of the best kunoichis in our village." Shikamaru, in return, nodded in approval._

_After saying this, she smiled lightly as she rested her smaller hand on the top of his bigger ones._

"_I don't know what I will do if you're not there or Choji. Both of you held so much power in me that I tend to listen to everything you will say!" She giggled as she smack his hand when she noticed that he was starting to fall asleep on her again._

"_Ino, one more smack and I'll leave. Troublesome woman." He threatened as he became slightly disappointed when Ino's hand left his. Her touch was comforting as it was and he was actually not listening to her blabbering but instead, he was focused on the warmth that was radiating from Ino's hand to his. _

"_Oh dear Shika, please, I've heard that many times." She rolled her eyes as she flipped her hair which made it flew over Shikamaru's face._

"_Troublesome." He muttered silently as he wrinkled his nose, enough only for himself to hear. But unfortunately, Ino heard it and again, instead of acting violent towards him, she actually smirked and said, "One day, you're going to miss this troublesome woman that you call all the time."_

_And with that, she left, leaving him again on his sanctuary. _

And yes, that day came.

Now that it was he that was actually experiencing Ino's cold demeanor, he couldn't help but to feel regrets over his actions in the past towards Ino. He couldn't deny the fact that actually felt sad that Ino hated him. She hated him so much that she couldn't look at him. Not in a friendly way that held love and adoration.

And what's left was hatred and regrets.

He snapped back to reality when he heard Tsunade's voice.

"You both are going to be on a long term mission." She said and her voice held such authority that both Shikamaru and Ino knew they couldn't protest. He knew that Ino would avoid any mission with him but when the hokage's decision was final then it would carry on even if all the villagers were against it. And Tsunade wasn't called as the hokage for nothing.

"What mission, Tsunade-sama?" He asked in his usual lazy tone.

_I'm not the only one who is going to be so shake up in this deal. _He silently reminded himself. If Ino wasn't affected by the situation, then so did he.

Tsunade leaned over her table and rested both of her elbows as she intertwined both of her hands' fingers and rested her chin and stared in a calculating manner at them before she spoke.

"It's an A-class mission at Tsukigakure. Tsukino-hime requests our assistance because something illegal has been running on her village. And what's worse, there has been a series of killings of young married couples; there are already four young couples who have been found dead."

Shikamaru and Ino listened to Tsunade's explanation of their mission before Shikamaru inquired.

"What is the time cycle of the killings? Does it happen every week?"

Tsunade sat up and looked outside the village, admiring its beauty through the window glass and spoke, "According to Tsukino-hime's letter, it only occurs during full moon at night."

He heard Ino gasped when she heard the content of the mission.

"Since she has other pressing matters to attend to regarding her village and she is also busy preparing for her wedding," the Godaime continued, "she has come to a decision for to us to aid them. And she also requested for a trained medic to teach their medical ninjas about medicinal plants used for antidotes and for curing illnesses."

Both of them nodded in understanding trying to sink in the mission when they heard Tsunade spoke again in her commanding voice.

"Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino," she addressed both of them, "your mission is to act as a young married couple and try to infiltrate the territory as well as investigate the series of killings in Tsukigakure." She said with a final tone.

Shikamaru went rigid as he heard Tsunade's final say.

He knew he just had to act normal and carry on the mission like he always did before. But he knew that he was just kidding himself on acting normal because heck, this was _Ino_ we're talking about. The same _Yamanaka Ino_ who had been his teammate, his childhood friend, his ex-fiancé and his ex-best friend. It's not that he was afraid of Ino or something. Okay he lied, he was some sort of afraid of her before but it was only those times of her monthly rampages and hormonal imbalance when the so-called PMS in girls hit her. But it was the past that was hunting him and like hell, five years of not interacting with each other would make it far worse that having to listen to his mother's longest record of nagging him for five hours straight.

But because this was a mission, he knew that he had no say about it and he had a hunch that the Godaime was cooking up something for him and Ino. Them being on a mission together wasn't just a mere coincidence and he could tell it.

_This is getting troublesome._ He silently fumed.

* * *

~o~

Ino clenched her both fists to calm herself. Her heartbeat had been beating erratically for a while now since she had stepped inside the room finding Shikamaru there. But she almost had a heart attack when Tsunade announced their circumstance at the mission that she wanted to scream.

_Acting as a married couple is the last thing I will do with Shikamaru!_ She hissed silently. The deafening silence that filled the room was too much to take. Being approximately a meter away from Shikamaru was hard enough to breath, how much more if she had to act as his little wife for this mission?

Gathering up the courage, she had managed to speak up in a small voice. "Why me, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade looked at her steadily and so did Shizune. She also felt Shikamaru's gaze on her but decided to ignore it. She wasn't going to look into his eyes.

"Why you, you ask?" Tsunade smirked.

"Yes."

"Well Ino, for one, you're the best kunoichi in Konoha in the art of seduction. And, certainly, playing the role of the _wife_ certainly fits you." Tsunade explained, clearly emphasizing the word wife, which made Ino sigh in defeat. Since Tsunade knew of her circumstance in life, she must say that she knew the meaning behind the statement.

"But there are other kunoichis out there who are more willing to take the mission." Ino stated firmly.

Tsunade raised her eyebrows as she eyed Ino, "Are you questioning my decision, Ino?"

Ino tried to compose herself. She knew that angering the Godaime was the last thing she wanted to do but she had to voice out her protests. "No, it's just that there are more competent kunoichis out there like…." She paused, she was going to say Hinata's name but well, she's _Hinata_ and she wasn't fit for this kind of mission. Tenten was out of the question because she was expecting her first child with Neji. And that left Sakura."….like Sakura."

Tsunade was about to say something but Shikamaru interrupted her.

"If she doesn't want the mission, Tsunade-sama, then so be it. We have to find a replacement soon. It might slow the phase of the mission if my partner isn't going to this this seriously." He stated with his usual bored tone, as he looked straight into Tsunade.

Ino, feeling insulted turned to face Shikamaru and snapped, "Are you implying I'm incompetent for that mission, _Nara?_"

Shikamaru cringed at the way she called him for a moment and shot her a bored look. "I'm not implying anything. I just want to get this mission done once and for all, _Yamanaka._" He decided to get back at her.

"Nice try but if I'm going to be on a long term mission, I'd rather put up with Lee's youthful antics that be with a lazy ass." She rebutted.

"I'm seeking peaceful days with this mission but if I'm to bring a _nagger and temperamental wife_ that nags to me all the time for the mission, I'd rather stay at home and endure my Mom's nagging." He sneered as his voice was almost yelling.

Ino, who turned red from anger rebuked, "Shut it, _Nara._ I'm sure when you will have a wife, it will complain on how lazy you can be and how not manly you are."

"_Oh yeah?_ But I remembered sometime in the past that you've been screaming my name with so much pas –" But Shikamaru stopped his sentence as he felt a hard slapped across his cheek. He touched it with his hand and it stung. He turned to look at Ino who was looking at him with pure hatred and rage – yes, rage. The emotions that were pooling on her eyes wasn't just pure anger, it was rage with a hint of sadness, regret and hate. Her eyes were misty with the tears that were threatening to fall at any moment.

"You have no right to speak that way about me, Nara." She said with her voice cold and perhaps menacing.

Shikamaru regretted his statements earlier. It only made her cry –well not necessarily but she was at the verge of tears. And what he hated the most was to see a woman crying. And what worst, it was because of him. He never knew that Ino would give in with such comments. She was _Ino_ after all. She wasn't easily provoked save for the times with her rivalry with Sakura. He guessed that he touched a very sensitive topic for both of them. He knew he was at fault and he needed to apologize.

Sighing in defeat, he said, "Look Ino, I'm –" But then again, he was cut short when Tsunade stepped in by slamming her hand on her desk.

"OKAY, STOP FIGHTING! You two need to be more cooperative with each other and I am giving you this mission and it's FINAL! Talk out whatever personal things you have together and SORT them out but make sure, you both have to carry out the mission properly or else, you'll be both demoted to Chuunins." Tsunade threatened, her eyes showing her authority as the village leader that could not be defied at any cost.

Both Shikamaru and Ino had their head bowed and was ashamed of their earlier misgivings and in front of the hokage no less. It was way to embarrassing after all the help that Tsunade had given her during her life crisis, this mission was the least that she could do.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, for my earlier actions. And I..I a-accept the mission." She softly said with her voice breaking of some sort with her head lowered.

Tsunade did no comment as she stamped the scroll and gave it to Shikamaru.

"For your disguises, I want you both to talk about it and get everything you need for the mission under my name. The duration of the mission will be more or less, six months if it goes well. But be prepared if ever it reaches for a year."

"Hai." Both of them answered.

"You're dismissed. Prepare to leave early tomorrow. Tsukigakure is four days away from our village."

And with one last bow, both Shikamaru and Ino got out of the room.

"We'll meet tomorrow at the entrance gate at 8 am. I'll take care of my disguise and you take care of yours. Good day." Ino informed, not even glancing a look towards his direction and quickly left, leaving Shikamaru alone in peace.

While walking in a hurry to be away from Shikamaru, Ino found herself walking toward the flower field where she, Chouji and Shikamaru used to play a lot when they were kids. She went at a lone big tree for shade where they used to nap as kids after playtime and rested her tensed back on its massive trunk.

Seeking comfort from the soothing presence of the dancing flowers through the wind, she let her tears fall that she had been ceasing for a while now. She could say that she was nervous for the mission because after five long years of not interacting with each other, she had to be with him on a mission. For their first encounter after a while, they had been fighting already on a personal basis. And what's more, she had to be away from her family for a long time and the thought made her depressed. She couldn't take to be away for that long from her family, especially from Anju and Sorami.

And there was one question that kept on bugging her the moment she heard their circumstance for the mission.

_Could I ever pull out to play as his wife when I should really be on that position years ago?_

* * *

_Read and review please. It displeases me that I've received a lot of story alerts and favorites but very few people review. And I need not to mention names but I want to thank those people who have been reviewing since this story is published._

_Again, I don't accept flames but constructive criticisms are very much welcome._


End file.
